More than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19, 36 more deaths confirmed in South Carolina
For the third consecutive day, more than 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Sunday in South Carolina by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Along with 2,583 new positive tests, 36 more deaths were reported Sunday by DHEC.
Since testing began in March, 253,034 cases of the coronavirus and 4,566 deaths have been reported in South Carolina, data shows. One of the confirmed deaths was in a pediatric case (17-and-under) in Chester County, according to DHEC.
Sunday’s data is based on 11,553 tests, and the percent positive was 22.4%, according to DHEC. That’s a slight decrease from Saturday’s 23%, and Friday’s 26%, which was the highest rate in months.
The record high single-day total was set two days ago, with 3,648 new cases on Friday. Saturday’s total of positive tests of COVID-19 was 2,919, and this is the third consecutive week where the single-day record was broken. Prior to the December surge, the previous single-day record was 2,343 cases confirmed on July 18.
Sunday marked the 34th consecutive day that more than 1,000 positive tests were confirmed in South Carolina, dating back to Nov. 16 when DHEC reported 981 new cases. Sixteen of the past 17 days have seen more than 2,000 positive tests confirmed, the data shows.
The most deaths reported on a single day in South Carolina occurred on July 25, when 80 deaths were confirmed, The New York Times reported.
Which counties were affected?
COVID-19 cases in the Upstate continue to surge and the area had the most new cases Sunday.
Greenville led all counties with 506 new COVID-19 cases, followed by 382 more in Spartanburg County, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are below the Upstate’s numbers, but also have surged in recent weeks, according to DHEC data. Richland County reported 143 new cases and Lexington County 139 new cases.
That brings the number of confirmed cases in Richland County to 22,129, while 13,112 positive tests have been reported in Lexington County.
Of the 36 deaths reported Sunday — including three in Lexington County and another in Richland County — 28 were elderly individuals (65 and older) and seven were middle-aged (35-64), according to DHEC. The middle-aged deaths were reported in Lexington, Aiken, Greenville, Lancaster, Laurens, Oconee, and Orangeburg counties.
South Carolinians of all ages have died after contracting COVID-19, but the disease has taken the greatest toll on elderly residents.
The average age of all South Carolinians who have died from coronavirus complications is 75, and the vast majority of those who died — 87% — were over 60, data show.
The remaining elderly deaths reported Sunday were in Greenville (4), Pickens (4), Aiken (2), Dorchester (2), Florence (2), Horry (2), Oconee (2), Charleston, Beaufort, Fairfield, Greenwood, Lancaster, Lee, and Marlboro counties.
Overall, 300 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Richland County, while the death toll increased to 243 in Lexington County, according to DHEC.
How are hospitals being impacted?
The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19, which has been gradually climbing for the past month, reached 1,471 statewide Sunday.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 peaked at 1,723 on July 23, according to DHEC.
Coronavirus patients made up 16.7% of all reported inpatients in South Carolina on Sunday, data shows.
Nearly 21.2% of COVID-19 patients, or 313 people, are in intensive care units, and nearly 10.8%, or 159 patients, are on ventilators.
Of the 13,276 hospital beds available in South Carolina, 8,821 inpatient beds or 79.6% are currently occupied, health officials said. There are currently 1,320 of 1,690 ICU beds occupied, or 78.1%, according to DHEC.
In Richland County, 773 hospital beds are occupied (71.4%), and 310 are available, while 442 of 511 hospital beds (86.5%) in Lexington County are occupied, data shows.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Daily case rates have nearly doubled in the past month and are currently the highest they’ve ever been, with 44 people per 100,000 testing positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 30 days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which have topped 1,000 statewide for the past 17 days, according to DHEC.
The number of people being tested across the state has shot up over the past 30 days, with an average of 214 tests per 100,000 individuals performed daily in the last month, a 45% increase from the month prior, data show.
Overall, 3,318,220 tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
DHEC said it will not report daily COVID-19 numbers on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Data for those days will be provided in the following day’s report.
Are all cases accounted for?
Across the country, health experts said official case counts have likely under-counted the number of cases to large degrees. At one point, South Carolina officials estimated that 86% of those infected never got tested or diagnosed, but they no longer provide those estimates.
DHEC has also been recording probable cases and probable deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received a lab test result but has virus symptoms or a positive antibody test. A probable death is someone who has not gotten a lab test but whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor.
On Sunday, DHEC reported 25 new probable COVID-19 cases in the state, and four new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 20,372 and total probable deaths at 369, data shows.
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 11:20 AM.
